WWE Money In The Bank 2018 Is Crucial For Styles vs. Nakamura Feud

At WWE Money In The Bank 2018, the feud between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship will reach another plateau with the richest prize in the game on the line.

The Phenomenal One and The King Of Strong Style have had four matches since and including WrestleMania 34, but their matchup at WWE Money In The Bank 2018 is one of extreme importance in a feud that has taken many twists and turns over the past couple months.

This feud has gone from a battle of mutual respect to now a heated battle between two superstars that can’t stand each other thanks to the heel turn of Nakamura at WrestleMania 34 following his loss to Styles.  Many questioned how Nakamura’s heel turn would turn out, but so far, so good.

The villainous version of Nakamura has reinvigorated his career and gained more traction in not even two full months than what he had in about a year as a babyface on the SmackDown brand.  His heel turn has also helped out the babyface character of The Phenomenal One tremendously as well.

However, as good as Nakamura’s heel turn has been so far, the argument can be made that the feud between Styles and Nakamura hasn’t lived up to its expectations yet.  It all started with their ultra-hyped match at WrestleMania 34 that didn’t live up to what most thought it could have been.

The match ended up almost taking a secondary role in the bigger picture of that match thanks to The King Of Strong Style turning heel post-match.  It was still a solid match, but nowhere near the five-star classic most everyone thought it would end up.  The two would tangle again at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in late-April, but it created differing opinions as well.

In terms of just the match quality, it was stellar.  However, the ending was a letdown when both men got counted out and Styles kept his title by default.  The third part of the equation took place at Backlash with the WWE Championship on the line yet again.  And much like the previous two, the finish hurt the overall match.

The trend continued of a solid match that was plagued by a screwy finish when both men got counted out, keeping the title around the waist of Styles.  The fourth encounter came on an episode of SmackDown after Backlash when the two battled it out for the right to choose the stipulation in their upcoming match at Money In The Bank.

This would turn out to be their best match yet with great heel tendencies shining through towards the end to propel Nakamura to the win.  He went on to choose a Last Man Standing match and that’s what the two will face next with the WWE Championship on the line for the fourth time since early-April.

Money In The Bank is absolutely crucial for this feud’s success and the WWE must treat it the right way.  Because up to this point, this feud hasn’t hit on all cylinders yet.  Even the in-ring aspect hasn’t hit on all cylinders yet, although most of that is due to the booking of the matches and the screwy finishes that have gone on.

All of the matches have been at least solid, but there hasn’t been that match of the year, jaw-dropping match yet.  It seems like the WWE is more interested in the finishes of these matches rather than the rest of the match.  That’s fine to an extent, but it shouldn’t overshadow the rest of the match and one could make the argument that has happened four straight times.

Outside of just the in-ring quality, it seems like Nakamura has to win at Money In The Bank.  A superstar can only get so many opportunities at winning gold and despite the non-finishes that have gone on lately, it starts to look bad if the same guy gets multiple opportunities to win the title after failing to win it in his other opportunities.

The King Of Strong Style has been a great heel in this feud, but that doesn’t mean every match has to end in a non-traditional way.  That has to change at Money In The Bank because another non-traditional finish would really leave a bad taste in everyone’s collective mouth.  Both men getting counted out in the Last Man Standing match would be awful.

It’s also time to give the WWE Championship to Nakamura.  It has been time for a while and as great as Styles has been with the belt for the past six months-plus, the wave of momentum The King Of Strong Style is on right now can’t go without capturing the WWE Championship.

Next: Could SmackDown Become The WWE's Flagship Show?

This feud could be determined by what happens at Money In The Bank and it’s time for the WWE to step out of the way and let these two world-class athletes leave a major mark.